Retracting wall cabinet



March 15, 1966 J. c. ERSKINE 3,240,547

RETRACTING' WALL CABINET Filed April 29, 1965 J. C. E RSK INE INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,240,547 RETRACTING WALL CABINET J. C. Erskine, 4070 Hunting, Fort Worth, Tex. Filed Apr. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 276,465 1 Claim. (Cl. 312-274) This invention relates to retractable shelves in cabinets and has reference to improved means for moving such shelves inwardly and outwardly of the cabinet in which they are installed.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a construction and arrangement whereby vertical rows of shelves may be provided on the inner surface of the cabinet door, and at the same time provide means for moving inner shelves outwardly and inwardly, as a unit, as the cabinet door is opened and closed.

A general object of the invention is to provide a relatively deep cabinet, yet one which may be filled to capacity with numerous items and at the same time provide means whereby all such items are readily accessible.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a horizontal sectional view of a cabinet illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, but showing the cabinet door open and the retractable shelves in their forward or extended position.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the invention and showing the same in the position illustrated in FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged plan view of one of the actuating mechanisms.

The illustrated cabinet is comprised of sides 11, a back 12 and bottom 13. The top, if any, is not shown. Around the front of the cabinet 10 there is a recessed frame 14 and a door 15 mounted therein by means of hinges 16.

The present invention includes a retractable shelf unit 17 normally received in the back of the first described cabinet 10, and which unit is comprised of a top 18, bottom 19, sides 20, back 21 and shelves 22. The unit 17 is slidably mounted on runners 23 in the bottom and sides of the cabinet 10. Within the spirit of the invention the runners 23 may be spaced above the cabinet bottom 13, and the unit 17 may include rollers, not shown, for rolling on the runners. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the shelf unit 17 occupies approximately one-half of the cabinet 10.

Gn the rear surface of the door 15 there are inwardly projecting shelves 24, the ends of which opposite the hinges 16 are arcuate so that they will clear the frame 14 when the door 15 is opened and closed. The ends of the door shelves 24 adjacent the hinges 16 have a vertical support 25, a vertical edge of which is secured to the bac sur e f th 99? 15.

3,240,547 Patented Mar. 15, 1966 The primary feature of the invention is directed to one or more actuating mechanisms 26 such as illustrated in detail in FIGURE 4. In the present description two such mechanisms 26 are employed, but only one would be necessary if the loads on the inner shelves are light. If only one mechanism 26 is used it should be located relatively near the runners 23 so as to avoid canting of the inner shelf unit 17. Each mechanism 26 is comprised of an L-shaped bracket 27, a leaf plate 28 and a connecting link 30 therebetween. One end of the link 30 is pivotally connected with the extending end of the L-shaped bracket 27 by a hinge pin 31, whereas the remaining end of the link is pivotally connected with an end of the leaf plate 30 by another hinge pin 32.

Surfaces of the L-shaped brackets 27 are attached to the inner surface of the side of the shelf unit 17 adjacent the door hinges 16 and near the forward edge thereof. The vertical support 25 is slotted, at 33, opposite each secured bracket 27 and receives a link 30, and the leaf plates 28 are secured to the inner surface of the support 25 as viewed in FIGURE 1. It is to be noted that the hinge pin 31 on the extending end of the bracket 27 is spaced from the shelf side 17, and that the other hinge pin 32 is adjacent the door 15 and spaced from the axis of the door hinges 16.

In operation, the retractable shelf unit 17 moves inwardly and outwardly as the door 15 is closed and opened by reason of the action of the link 30. The location of the hinge pin 31 connected with the bracket 27 reduces canting of the shelf unit 17 and the slots 33 in the shelf support permit full swing of the door 15.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary construction herein shown and described, but may be made in various ways within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

In combination with a cabinet having a door and hinges on one side and near the forward edge thereof, a shelf unit slidably received in said cabinet, a link pivotally connected at one end with said shelf unit at a location spaced from the inner side of said shelf unit and the remaining end of said link being pivotally connected with said door at a location spaced inwardly of the inner surface thereof and at the side of the door adjacent said hinges, shelves on said inner surface of said door, a vertical support on the ends of shelves adjacent said hinges, and a slot in said support positioned to accommodate said link.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 2/ 1936 Great Britain. 12/ 1956 Great Britain. 

